The Use of Continuous Quality Improvement Methodology to Improve Nurses’ Infection Control Practices at a General Hospital in Alexandria

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of continuous quality improvement [CQI] methodology in improving selected nurses’ infection control practices at a general hospital in Alexandria. The study population consisted of important infection control practices performed by nurses. Important practices were defined as high-volume, high-risk, high-cost, and problem-prone activities. Based on these criteria, three practices were selected: [1] hand washing, [2] surgical site dressing, and [3] peripheral intravenous catheterization. The present study used pre-test post-test design to examine nurses’ practices before and after implementation of CQI project. It consisted of the following three distinct phases: [1] observation of nurses’ practice before intervention, [2] implementation of a quality improvement project, and [3] observation of nurses’ practices following implementation of the project. After implementation of CQI interventions, the percentage of times in which indicated hand washing/alcohol hand rubbing was performed increased from 1.7% to 2.8%, and the percentage of times nurses complied with recommended hand washing practices increased for 5 of actual 7 steps. Nurses’ practices of surgical site dressing technique showed statistically significant improvement in all 12 steps after implementation of CQI interventions. The proportion of occasions in which nurses complied with recommended procedure for peripheral intravenous catheterization significantly improved after implementation of CQI intervention in 9 of 12 steps.